Ganguly, Kumble miss the busSreesanth loses out to R.P.
Singh for Champions Trophy
Mumbai, September 3
Sourav Ganguly today failed to make a comeback to the national cricket team with the selectors ignoring him along with ace spinner Anil Kumble, paceman Zaheer Khan and batsman VVS Laxman for the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy to be played in India in October-November.

S. Sreesanth (left) throws a water bottle as team-mate Munaf Patel looks on during a practice session at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Sunday. — AFP
photo

PCB, selectors to meet on Inzamam issue
Karachi, September 3
With the deadline for announcing the team for the Champions Trophy fast approaching, the top brass of the Pakistan Cricket Board will hold a series of meetings with the national selectors to decide the fate of Inzamam-ul-Haq for the premier one-day tournament.

Shoaib stars in Pak win
London, September 3
A superb display of fast bowling from Shoaib Akhtar (4-28) and a fighting fifty by Younis Khan helped Pakistan crush England by seven wickets in the second one-day international at Lord’s yesterday.

Flintoff may play Champions Trophy
London, September 3
Star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff could return to lead England’s campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India in October-November, but there is a possibility he may play only as a batsman.

Rain halts action at US Open
New York, September 3
Andre Agassi received another anti-inflammatory injection and received an extra day to rest before playing in the third round of the US Open as his match was postponed because of intermittent rain.

Winner Markus Maire throws a 83.5 kg stone during the stone throwing event at the Unspunnen festival in Interlaken on Sunday. — Reuters

Bhutia happy to be back in business
New Delhi, September 3
Baichung Bhutia is happy to be back in the Indian soccer team. New chief coach Bob Houghton has brought in a refreshing and innovative approach to keep Bhutia engaged and excited. He likes the coaching methods of Houghton and the high-spirited ambience in the team. The Sikkimese striker does not regret his decision to return after expressing his desire to quit international soccer a few months ago. “Baichung now finds his motivation and is in good spirits”, said Houghton.

Bob Mathias dies at 75
San Francisco, September 3
Bob Mathias, two-time Olympic champion in the decathlon and former US congressman, has died. He was 75.

Randhawa settles for tied 3rd
Johor Bahru, September 3
Jyoti Randhawa blew a two-shot lead with two holes to go with a bogey-bogey finish and ended tied third in the inaugural $ 300,000 Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters here today.

Mumbai, September 3
Sourav Ganguly today failed to make a comeback to the national cricket team with the selectors ignoring him along with ace spinner Anil Kumble, paceman Zaheer Khan and batsman VVS Laxman for the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy to be played in India in October-November.

The former Indian skipper, who figured among the 30 probables for the tournament considered as the mini World Cup, did not find a place in the 14-member squad which surprisingly does not include S. Sreesanth, billed as the pace spearhead of the Indian attack along with Munaf Patel.

Kumble was also left out after he failed to recover from a shoulder injury picked during a county stint with Surrey.

The selectors retained the 15-member squad that toured Sri Lanka recently for the tri-series against Australia and the West Indies in Malaysia from Sep 12 to 24.

Chairman of selectors Kiran More said Kumble was kept out of the Champions Trophy squad, despite team physio John Gloster’s report that the leg-spinner would be fit time for the event, keeping in mind the hectic schedule ahead.

“We had a long discussion on Kumble’s inclusion for the Champions Trophy with the captain (Rahul Dravid) and coach (Greg Chappell) and it was felt we should not be taking any chances (with his fitness) with the long-term interests of the team in mind,” More said.

“What happens if he breaks down? We have the South African tour after the Champions Trophy and he’s a key bowler. We want the team to do well in Test matches also.”

On the omission of right-arm pacer Sreesanth, More said the committee felt that Uttar Pradesh’s Rudra Pratap Singh deserved to be given a chance as he was bowling impressively of late and did well for India ‘A’ in the Top End series in Australia in June.

“This does not mean Sreesanth is not in our focus. He’s very much in the running. It’s just a question of four or five matches in the Champions Trophy. The question of left and right bowling combinations also was considered,” he said.

On the squad for Malaysia, More said, “We did not feel there was a need to choose more than 15 players for Malaysia as it’s a short visit and 16 or 17 players would have been too many. We had a long meeting because we discussed plans for the future and also talked about players like Kumble and others who are on the way back from long injury lay-offs like Ashish Nehra, Laxmipathy Balaji and Murali Kartik.

“It also took some time to contact the president (Sharad Pawar to get his clearance for the teams’ announcement),” More said. More said no other names — including that of Ganguly and Laxman — were discussed at the meeting.

Asked about Zaheer Khan’s continued absence from the Indian line-up, More conceded that the Baroda left arm seamer had done well in the England county circuit. “He’s been performing well. But others have also done well. It’s no issue. They (medium pacers) are all good,” he said.

Karachi, September 3
With the deadline for announcing the team for the Champions Trophy fast approaching, the top brass of the Pakistan Cricket Board will hold a series of meetings with the national selectors to decide the fate of Inzamam-ul-Haq for the premier one-day tournament.

The team is to be announced on September 7 and although PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan has asserted that the board is not concerned about the availability of the skipper, the issue is far from resolved.

The raging issue will figure prominently during a round of meetings between cricket officials and selectors, The News reported today.

Inzamam faces an ICC disciplinary hearing into charges of ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute in the wake of incidents during the Oval Test and may face a ban of up to four Tests and eight one-day internationals.

The hearing is scheduled for the last week of this month.

“There are a few things which need to be discussed which is why I would be meeting the PCB Chairman within the next two days,” chief selector Wasim Bari told the paper.

Bari said he was not aware “what the ICC rules say in such matters” and added that he would be seeking Shaharyar’s advise before announcing the squad.

But the composition of the 14-member team has already been discussed within the selection committee.

“What we have fielded against England (in the one-day series) is more or less our best squad so I would say that the core of the team for the Champions Trophy would be the same,” he said.

Procter included as eyewitness

Pakistan have named match referee Mike Procter as one of their witnesses in the ICC disciplinary hearing of Inzamam-ul-Haq. Procter would be one of the 19 witnesses Pakistan’s lawyers are planning to call to the hearing, The News quoted Shaharyar Khan as saying.

Shaharyar hoped that the South African’s presence would enhance the chances of Inzamam escaping a ban.

Procter was the man at the helm during the Oval Test against England that ended in a controversial forfeiture.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has asked the team to move on from controversy and concentrate on winning the five-match one-day series against England.

Aziz, who was on hand to watch a part of the second one-dayer at Lord’s yesterday, praised the team for its hard work and said he expected it to win the series.

Aziz also visited the dressing room and had a brief talk with the players, team manager Zaheer Abbas said.

“The Prime Minister praised the players for their hard work and told them how much he likes their cricket,” Abbas told the paper.

“It was a good meeting and I am sure the players feel very encouraged,” he said.
— PTI

London, September 3
A superb display of fast bowling from Shoaib Akhtar (4-28) and a fighting fifty by Younis Khan helped Pakistan crush England by seven wickets in the second one-day international at Lord’s yesterday.

In a match reduced to 40 overs a side because of rain, Pakistan reached 169 for three wickets in 36.4 overs after bowling out England for just 166.

London, September 3
Star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff could return to lead England’s campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in India in October-November, but there is a possibility he may play only as a batsman.

Flintoff has not played since he underwent a second operation on his left ankle in July, but chairman of selectors David Graveney has said the Lancashire cricketer was on course to return for the mini World Cup.

“We will consult our medics, but it’s extremely positive Freddie has got a chance. There has been talk of him playing as a batsman in the initial stages but assuming he doesn’t have any problems with his rehabilitation he will definitely be in the shake-up,” Graveney said.

Flintoff, undergoing rehabilitation in Portugal, has been named in the provisional 30-man squad for the tournament.

If passed fit, Flintoff would also be a candidate to lead the team, and it would be a tough choice between him and Andrew Strauss. But Graveney said, “The selectors haven’t even discussed the question of the captaincy yet.”

Left-arm spinner bowler Ashley Giles, who has not played at all this summer due to a hip injury, may also make a return in the Champions Trophy.
— PTI

New York, September 3
Andre Agassi received another anti-inflammatory injection and received an extra day to rest before playing in the third round of the US Open as his match was postponed because of intermittent rain. Rain that was barely there in the morning but grew heavy by the evening washed out yesterday’s entire schedule at Flushing Meadows.

“I’ll be all right. I don’t need sympathy. I’ll be OK,” Agassi said with a smile as he prepared to leave for the day.

Matches involving Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova also were pushed back to today, when tournament organisers will add a night session in Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first time in a bid to erase the backlog. Five of the tournament’s 12 sessions have been cancelled so far, including two entire days, Tuesday and Saturday, without any matches completed. There hadn’t been a single such 24-hour period at the US Open since day 1 in 1987.

“It’s been a tough day, but we are one day behind,” US Tennis Association executive Arlen Kantarian said. “We expect to be fully caught up by the end of the day tomorrow.” The 36-year-old Agassi, playing in the final tournament of his career and fighting a bad back, has been on court for more than seven hours already, including his five-set thriller against eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis that began on Thursday night and finished in the wee hours of Friday.

“I prefer not to have a drama-filled one tomorrow,” said Agassi, whose eight Grand Slam titles include two at the US Open.

The benefit of having time to rest his bothersome back could also result in having to play on consecutive days down the line: If Agassi beats Becker today, he would be scheduled to play in the fourth round tomorrow, possibly against 2003 US Open champion Roddick.

The delay also gave Becker more time to ponder what it might be like to face Agassi, a player he grew up admiring and emulating.

Agassi went to a hospital to have a cortisone shot on Tuesday after his first-round victory over Romania’s Andrei Pavel; Agassi’s trainer, Gil Reyes, estimated he’s had eight to 10 such injections over the past four years.

Yesterday, Agassi practiced indoors for about 45 minutes, and then arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre shortly before 2 pm. He left having received the latest injection, and Reyes said Agassi probably would have another today.

As Agassi entered the locker room alone yesterday, he was walking much better than he did after the Baghdatis match, when he was hunched over and hobbling. It was so tough to stand then that Agassi took a moment to lie down on his back on the concrete outside while waiting to be picked up for the ride to his hotel.

Martina Navratilova, another tennis star who will retire after the Open, spoke yesterday about leaving the sport when one wants to, rather than being forced to stop because of injury. She recalled having had about a half-dozen cortisone shots.

“You just don’t want your body to give out on you. Andre has been struggling with his back for a few years now. You just want to quit on your own terms,” said Navratilova, who turns 50 in October and is competing in mixed and women’s doubles.

With no shots hit in anger at Flushing Meadows, the action across the grounds was limited to practice strokes between raindrops. Before being told they could go to their hotels, Sharapova and Roddick shared centre court while hitting with practice partners. At least that gave diehard fans in the stands something to watch other than a replay of Agassi-Baghdatis on the big video screens overhead.

Other players who had been scheduled to be on court yesterday, included past US Open champions Lindsay Davenport and Marat Safin, whose matches originally were supposed to be played on Friday.
— AP

New Delhi, September 3
Baichung Bhutia is happy to be back in the Indian soccer team. New chief coach Bob Houghton has brought in a refreshing and innovative approach to keep Bhutia engaged and excited. He likes the coaching methods of Houghton and the high-spirited ambience in the team. The Sikkimese striker does not regret his decision to return after expressing his desire to quit international soccer a few months ago. “Baichung now finds his motivation and is in good spirits”, said Houghton.

Bhutia travelled to Delhi, along with coach Houghton and other team members last night, on way to Jeddah (Riyadh) to play Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup 2007 qualifying round match on September 6, after attending a weeklong camp in Goa.

“We had a great camp in Goa. We are definitely looking forward to a better performance than what he had against Saudi Arabia in Kolkata recently,” Bhutia said. The Indian captain said the confidence of the team would get a big boost if they notch up a couple of good wins against big teams. “We need to win against big names. It will help the team psychologically”, he added.

Bhutia promised that the Indian strikers would not be as prodigal in the return tie against the Saudis as they were in the home match in Kolkata where the visitors romped home to a 3-0 victory after the hosts muffed several sitters.

The Indian captain did not subscribe to the view that the players should be tall and sturdy to make a great impact. “You need quality players, not necessarily bigger players”, he noted. And he was all praise for current Indian forward Sunil Chetri of JCT and medio Manjit Singh of Bengal for their inspiring forward play.

Houghton said if India could win the next two matches against the Saudis and Japan, it would be a great motivating factor. “But you have to be realistic. Even the Europeans find it difficult to beat Saudi Arabia in their own backyard, where the conditions are vastly different. The big ground, and temperatures upward of 40 degrees would be very intimidating”, noted Houghton.

The coach was confident about the competence about the Indian forwards who are capable of delivering, adding that goal scoring was the most important aspect in any team’s strategy. “You need specific skills for that. Manjit is good. Bhutia is a goal-giver. The midfielders should also move up and try to score”, he said.

Bhutia said the Indian players had learnt their lessons from the missed chances against the Saudis in Kolkata. “But we are confident, though not over confident”, he
added.

San Francisco, September 3
Bob Mathias, two-time Olympic champion in the decathlon and former US congressman, has died. He was 75.

The US Olympic Committee said in a statement that Mathias died in his home. His brother said the cause was cancer.

Mathias became the youngest Olympic gold medallist in athletics in 1948 in London, when he won the decathlon at 17.

It was only his third decathlon, having qualified for the Olympics by winning two events in the United States.

At the 1952 Helsinki Games, he became the first athlete to repeat as Olympic champion in the decathlon. Though the Washington Redskins drafted him to play in the American football league, he never signed. Mathias also won the 1948 Sullivan Award as America’s top amateur athlete.

“He just had a lot of natural ability in everything he did,” his brother Eugene Mathias said.

Eugene said his brother was a gifted athlete from childhood, often outperforming older children.

“I tried jumping the high jump and I couldn’t make it. He was three years younger and he said ‘let me try it.’ He did it and he made it,” Eugene recalled. “We knew then that he could just do anything athletic.”

After retiring from sports, Mathias served as a congressman representing California from 1967-74, serving four terms. After his political career, Mathias became the first director of the US Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

He was also a member of the US Olympic halls of fame and the national track and field hall of fame.

“Bob Mathias was one of those rare individuals with the ability to inspire a nation through his determination and perseverance. He was a champion in every aspect of life, and he embraced the values that make our country and the worldwide Olympic movement special,” USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth said in a statement.

Eugene said his brother never boasted of his Olympic accomplishments and was happy to return to his home in California’s Central Valley after his Olympic days ended.

Spain’s Pau Gasol lifts the Naismith Trophy after his team’s 70-47 victory over Greece in the final of the World Basketball Championship in Saitama, Japan, on Sunday. Gasol, who did not play in the final due to an injury, was named the player of the tournament. — Reuters
photo

Saitama, September 3
Sharp-shooting Spain blasted past Greece 70-47 to win their first gold at the World Basketball Championship today.

“We played really well with an incredible intensity in defence,” Navarro told Spanish television station La Sexta. “We wanted to win for Pau and we achieved that in the end.”

Garbajosa, who has just signed for the Toronto Raptors, sank six three-pointers and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Spain past Greece, the European champions.

Back-to-back threes from Garbajosa blew the game open for Spain, giving them a 14-point advantage with 8:15 to go in the second quarter and they went in at half-time leading 43-23.

The gap was still 20 points after three quarters and the Greeks, who had shocked tournament favourites the United States in the semifinals, never threatened a late fightback.

Spain’s win was their 18th straight following a string of victories in pre-tournament games.

“It has been fantastic,” gushed Spain coach Pepu Hernandez. Gasol, who led Spain in points and rebounding, broke a metatarsal in Friday’s epic 75-74 semifinal win over Argentina.

The NBA all-star hobbled on to the court on crutches and watched the game from the bench in jeans, pumping his fists and shouting encouragement to his team-mates.

Gasol, named player of the tournament after averaging 21.3 points and 8.1 rebounds, burst into tears at the final buzzer as the Spanish celebrations began in earnest.

Spain had arrived in Japan riding a nine-game unbeaten streak and tipped as one of the favourites. But such weighty expectations have often proven too much for the Spanish, whose best previous result was a fourth place in 1982.

Spain’s footballers headed into the World Cup on a similar high after a 22-match unbeaten run but exited the tournament in the first knockout round after a 3-1 defeat by eventual finalists France.

Because of their failure to perform on the big stage, the Spanish basketball team had been compared to the football squad.

“We dedicated this win to Spain and to our football team,” said
Garbajosa.

Fans celebrate victory

MADRID: Basketball fans clad in red and gold poured on to the streets of the city on Sunday to celebrate their side’s resounding win in Japan. The streets had been deserted while the match was in progress but exploded into life following the final buzzer, when the side claimed their first gold medal.

Around 13,000 fans, who had packed into the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid to watch the game on giant screens, celebrated wildly singing “We are the champions”, while others simply wept.
— Reuters

Johor Bahru, September 3
Jyoti Randhawa blew a two-shot lead with two holes to go with a bogey-bogey finish and ended tied third in the inaugural $ 300,000 Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters here today.

Anton Haig, the 24-year-old South African, who took to golf only in 2000 after being diagnosed with a disease which was causing parts of his bone to chip off due to contact sports, capped a great week with a brilliant birdie-birdie finish to cruise ahead for his maiden triumph on the Asian Tour.

He won by one shot over Scotsman Barry Hume (66), who finished at 21-under.

Randhawa had a volatile finish over the last five holes with one eagle, one birdie and three birdies, and was tied for third with Englishman Yasin Ali (67) as they finished at 20-under. Hume was second.

Gaurav Ghei (70) finished at 14-under and in 13th place, while Shiv Kapur after three 68s went one over 73 with four bogeys on the last eight holes in the final round to finish 11-under and tied 27th.

Digvijay Singh (70) joined Kapur in the tied 27th place, while Gurbaaz Mann (71) was tied 32nd and Arjun Singh (68) was tied 48th while SSP Chowrasia (75) slid down further to tied 60th.

Jeev ends up tied 3rd

Ito (Japan): A closing birdie on the 18th and final hole gave Jeev Milkha Singh his season’s best finish of a tied-third place at the 150-million-yen Fujisankei Classic golf on the Japanese Tour here today.

The 34-year-old Indian notched his seventh top-10 finish in 10 starts as he finished with a one-over 72 on a very demanding golf course at the Fujizakura Country Club.

Though the third place was Jeev’s best in Japan this year, he has won once in a joint-sanctioned event between Europe and Asia, besides finishing second on two other occasions in an Asian Tour event.

Atwal, Chopra miss the cut

Norton (USA): Arjun Atwal was bad while Indo-Swede Daniel Chopra even worse as both put up another disappointing performance to make a mid-way exit at the 5.5-million dollar Deutsche Bank Championship here.

In second round yesterday, Atwal seemed erratic and returned a poor three-over 74 card to aggregate seven-over 149 while Chopra carded four-over 75 to total eight-over 150 as both missed the cut by a distance.
— PTI, UNI

Ropar, September 3
Sangrur swimmers won the overall trophy in the Punjab State Swimming Championship that concluded at Nehru Stadium swimming pool here today.

In the men events, Jalandhar bagged the trophy while Ropar and Sangrur were placed second and third, respectively. Among women, Sangrur emerged champion followed Patiala and Ropar.

In individual events, Puneet Rana of Ropar, who won five gold, was adjudged the fastest swimmer while Gurvinder Kaur of Hoshiarpur was chosen fastest swimmer among women. Janshandeep of Ropar, who won two gold, was selected as the budding swimmer.

BRIEFLY

Ronak Manuja wins ITF title
Karachi: Ronak Mahesh Manuja captured the boys’ singles title in the second leg of the ITF World Pakistan Junior Tennis Championships-II by defeating Chandril Sood 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Indian final in Islamabad.
Manuja got off to a quick start and took a 3-1 lead at the Islamabad Club clay courts yesterday. Sood broke back but Manuja sealed the first set by breaking in the 10th game. The second set proved to be one-sided as Manuja built up a 4-1 lead by breaking Sood in the third game.
He made the title his own by breaking again in the eighth game to win in an hour and five minutes.
— PTI

PNB winNEW DELHI: Punjab National Bank defeated PNB Academy 1-0 in the Delhi State Hockey League at the Shivaji Stadium here on Sunday. Jitender Kumar scored the match-winner. Food Corporation of India (North Zone) trounced FCI (Headquarters) 6-3 after locking 1-1 at half time.
In the Delhi State Schools League, Singha School edged past JKG, Ghaziabad 3-2 after leading by 3-0 at half time. Madan, Manish and Ranbir scored for the winners while Pankaj and Ashish reduced the margin. Sawan Public and Bal Bharti played a goalless draw.
— OSR

Rajiv marathonNEW DELHI: Sanju Parshad of Sonia Vihar MCD school headed from start to finish to romp home with the senior girls title in the 13th edition of the Rajiv Gandhi Marathon for schoolchildren, organised by the National Sports Club of India (NSCI), here on Sunday.
The races were run from the Ambedkar Stadium to the NSCI gate. Athletes from the same school also claimed the second and third places. Arunima Pal raced to the title in the junior girls section while Ankur Kumar and Parvesh Alam won the senior and junior boys titles, respectively.
— OSR